When We're Dust
by Utsuro
Summary: The Valiant, the Dogged, the Loving, the Beloved, the Light, the Carefree, the Naive, the Regretful, the Prideful, the Unfeeling, and the otherworldly. One by one, two by two... we all fall.  implied pairings
1. The Valiant and the Dogged

A/N: /looks at poll votes... *pause* /naturally starts with least voted option 8D

Disclaimer: I don't own Elesis or Ronan D; I do, however, own this cave! - *points at collapsed cave*

Obituary 1: The Valiant and the Dogged

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><p>"<em>What are you trying to say?" <em>

"_... And the rest?" _

"_They'll be joining you shortly."_

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><p>The sound of Elesis' boots echoed loudly on the stone ground of the cave, a quieter echo coming from Ronan's boots several feet behind her.<p>

"Elesis, with all due respect, can you **please **slow down and let me take the lead? It's too dark in this cave... If we keep going on like this we're just going to get lost." The indigo haired boy chided, waiting patiently for the carnation haired girl to turn around. She did so a minute later when she realized he was no longer following, and crossed her arms with a huff.

"I don't know about you, but I just want to get out of here and take a nice warm bath! Why did the Knight Master even call us for this mission after so long?" She muttered in complaint, allowing Ronan to catch up.

"Elesis, it's only been three years since the Grand Chase disbanded. You shouldn't be this surprised to receive a mission like this." He replied, waving his hand with a flourish as he summoned a ball of fire. At this the sound of scurrying bugs and insects was heard, causing Elesis to shudder.

"I know, but she has new little lackeys to do things for her! I mean, I don't mind the occasional adventure, but this place isn't really..." Sighing, she began to follow Ronan as he led the way, "I don't know. I trust the Knight Master's judgement, but this doesn't really seem like the type of thing she would call us for. There doesn't seem to be any danger in this mission at all... And she assigned me to do this mission with you, of all people." Glancing back at the exasperated knight, Ronan smiled.

"I don't mind. After all, it is really nice to see you again. Perhaps the Knight Master just wanted to arrange a reunion of sorts?" Elesis blinked, frowning as a blush lit up her face.

"I... I didn't think about you that much!" She denied fervently, "It's only been... One year..." Her voice quieted, and for a moment all that filled the air was the sound of their steps and the quiet crackle of the fire.

"I thought about you every day." Elesis gritted her teeth at the response, and found herself pushing past Ronan again.

"Well you shouldn't have!" She snapped, her hands curling into fists.

"Elesis..."

"I'm trying to concentrate, be quiet!" Ronan sped up his pace to match hers, a light frown decorating his face. Pressing his middle finger and thumb against the bridge of his nose as he thought for a second, he tried to glance at Elesis' expression. She had turned her head so he couldn't see, and the indigo haired knight sighed.

"Please don't be like this, Elesis... I don't know when I'll get to see you again." He pleaded, increasing his pace to catch up with the redhead.

"Well, if you hadn't decided your duty was to the Erudon household instead of your friends we wouldn't be facing this problem, would we?" She hissed back, looking at him scornfully.

"My father **died**, Elesis! They had no one else to-" Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes.

"I don't want to fight with you today, Elesis. Please don't do this..." The former Grand Chase leader continued stomping into the distance, and Ronan found himself nearly running to keep up with her.

"Elesis! Please stop running and let me talk to you!" To his surprise the girl did stop, and she quite abruptly turned to swing her sword right in front of him.

"I'm done wanting to talk to you! All you've been doing all this time is spending time working for absolutely nothing, while most of the rest of us have been working without even a name to work up to!" She retorted. Ronan took a deep breath as he righted himself, grabbing her wrist before she could stomp off again.

"Elesis-"

"Let me go! I'm going to finish this mission on my own!"

"Elesis, there-"

"Let go now, or I **swear **to Gaia I will stab you with this swor-"

"**Elesis, there is no mission!**" For a moment, the girl stared at him blankly. Her eyebrows had furrowed in confusion, and she ceased trying to tug her arm away.

"What exactly do you mean? Ronan, we're here to get rid of a monster in the cave-"

"There is no monster." He sighed, "The knight master lied." Elesis' eyes widened, and Ronan quickly continued before she could begin making assumptions.

"Well, not exactly! She didn't do it on her own. I... I can't leave the Erudon household at all without a reason any more." He admitted quietly.

"And that has **what **to do with this?" The fiery haired girl frowned.

"Elesis, I sent you **fifty **letters. You didn't respond to any of them. Not one." The redhead looked away, though she didn't appear to feel guilty.

"The last time I had to report to the palace I met with the Knight Master... She owed me some favours from back when I was in the chase, so I called on one. I begged her to send you a mission request." Crimson eyes widened- Elesis was beginning to understand what was going on.

"I know you were angry at me for leaving the castle, and I know you're probably even angrier at me now for arranging this, but... Elesis, I **needed **to see you." His grip on her wrist loosened, and he grabbed her hand instead. Bringing it to his forehead, he closed his eyes.

"You... You're so stupid..." Elesis muttered, directing her gaze to the ground.

"I know." Was the quiet reply. Silence filled the room, and Elesis was the next to break it.

"What now?" She whispered. Ronan didn't respond.

"What do you have to say for yourself now that I'm here? You'd better choose your words carefully... This is the last time I'm going to listen." The spell knight finally opened his eyes, releasing her hand.

"Well... To start, how many of the letters did you read?" He questioned. Elesis scoffed.

"None."

_Every single one._

"Do you remember what you said to me the day before I left?" He whispered.

"How am I supposed to remember so far back?"

_Of course I do._

"And... How do you feel about me now?"

"I don't- I don't know what you're talking about."

_I love you._

Ronan sighed and ran a hand through his dark indigo locks.

"I suppose..." He chuckled quietly, "I should just walk away now. I should just pretend I don't know you better than that, and that I don't know everything you just said was a lie." Elesis' mouth fell open for a second, and she took a step back.

"What-"

"I'm afraid, however, that my pride won't let me do so." He took a step towards her, then another step when she backed off once again.

"You said I've been working for the last year for nothing... That wasn't true. I was working because..." Reaching out, he pressed a hand to her cheek, "I wanted to give **you **my name." Elesis let out a quiet gasp, and her cheeks began blazing to a dark red.

"I don't feel that way... I don't feel that way about you!" She protested, averting her eyes from his own.

"And if you were being honest about that I would turn, leave here and never come back, as an gentleman would. I'm not going to leave things like that, though, when I can clearly see your cheeks heating up, and when I can see you trying to avoid my gaze like you always used to... You haven't changed at all." Elesis frowned.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She huffed, crossing her arms. Ronan smiled gently.

"It means, Miss Elesis Sieghart, that I would like you to become Miss Elesis Erudon." The pair fell silent, Ronan staring at Elesis in expectation. The redhead seemed almost lost: her face was frozen in shock and confusion.

"I haven't seen you..." She stated, "in one year." Ronan scratched the back of his head.

"I know... I apologize at how sudden this is, but it would be extremely difficult to arrange another meeting... Elesis, I don't want to lose you." There was a long pause between the two, in which Elesis stared at Ronan with a sceptical gaze.

Then, she punched him in the stomach and turned away. The spell knight kneeled over from the force, coughing out a breath.

"Ele-"

"How can you just say something like that and expect everything to be fine?" She snapped, beginning to run.

"Elesis! Come back! You're going to..." The darkness had stolen her from his view entirely. Using his tyrfing to help himself up, he quickly started into a run. All he had to go on was the sound of Elesis' footsteps: the light from his fireball wasn't enough to illuminate the entire cave.

"Stop following me!"

"No! Would you stop being so hard-headed for once?" He called back irritatedly. The footsteps ahead of him faltered for a moment, and as he approached, he noticed why. There were two branches of the path laying in front of him: a moment's listening allowed him the knowledge that she had taken the left tunnel. There was another sound mixed in with her footsteps, and it took Ronan a moment to identify it.

_She's crying. _He let out a quiet curse and tried to speed up. This didn't work very well: at the sound of his footsteps speeding up Elesis did the same._ At least it explains why she's running... She never lets anyone see her cry. _

This pondering had slowed him down for a minute: when he reached the next branch Elesis' footsteps had become too distant for him to hear clearly. _I can't lose her! If she gets out of this cave and leaves I'll probably never see her again... _Making a hasty decision to take the right path, Ronan tried to light the halls a bit more with the fireball.

"Elesis!" He called out again.

"Elesis-" Her distant footsteps had paused for a moment. The silence would have been comforting, had it not been pierced by an echoing scream. The abyss knight turned around as he realized he had taken the wrong path, rushing around the corner and in the direction of the scream. _What happened? _

"Elesis?" Her scream ceased after several moments, and was followed by a sickening crack.

"**Where are you? Say something!**" There was no response, and Ronan was forced to continue running without direction.

"**What happened? Say anything!**" He tried again, pushing himself to run faster. At this speed he was barely able to stop when something entered his gaze, and he pulled back before he ran into a dark hole. Kneeling down at the edge, he squinted as he tried to see further. _It was pitch black... She wouldn't have seen the hole._

"**Elesis! Answer me!**" He screamed down. There was a grumble followed by several coughs from below, and Ronan bit his lip. Unfastening his cloak, he loosened the metal pin from the fabric and dropped it down. There was a lengthy silence before it clinked to the ground, echoing several times.

"**Elesis? I'm coming down!**" He called, gritting his teeth as he looked at his supplies. _How, exactly? _It was quite clearly too deep to just jump down, and too wide to use his back and feet to shuffle down. Elesis' coughing echoed up to him again, and the abyss knight glared at the available items, then back to the hole.

"**Don't worry, I'll be down there in a second!**" Grabbing his tyrfing, he began slicing his cloak into strips.

"Dnn..." He blinked in surprise as Elesis' voice reached him, and he paused to lean over the hole.

"**What?**" There was a rumbling from the hole, and Ronan leaned in closer.

"**D—Don't come down here!**" Ronan's eyes widened.

"**What's down there?**" He called in response as he tied the strips together tightly.

"**I SAID DON'T COME DOWN HERE!**" Her voice was shrill and frightened: hearing Elesis' voice in such disarray transferred the emotion to Ronan almost immediately. He observed the length of material before taking off his overcoat to add to the rope, and tossed the end down the hole.

"**What are- Ronan, what are you doing? LEAVE THE CAVE RIGHT NOW!**" There it was again: fear. _There wasn't supposed to be anything actually __**in **__this cave! _He thought angrily. _Something's gone wrong. _Stabbing his tyrfing through the fabric and the wall to hold it in place, Ronan grabbed the handle and quickly swung himself down. A foul odour had begun to fill the air, as well as a loud, guttural groan. Using the makeshift rope to ease himself down the hole, Ronan made his way down as quickly as he could while holding a flame in one hand and easing himself down with the other, and soon he could see Elesis.

"**I told you to leave!**" She whispered urgently from her spot on the ground. Red was seeping through the leg and arm of her already red clothing, making it look almost black.

"You broke your arm **and **your leg?" He questioned with a frown, reaching out to pick her up. With her uninjured hand she hit his away roughly, turning to the other side of the room.

"**Listen **to me for once and get out of here!" She sounded like she was almost pleading. Ronan followed her gaze, and soon saw why.

Gargantuan yellow eyes peered out of the darkness, and several teeth as tall as Ronan himself glimmered in the firelight. The creature was breathing and shuddering heavily: the shudders shaking the entire cave and the breathing filling the air with what, when noticed, was a pungent, nauseating odour. It was impossible to tell where it started or ended; the darkness veiled it too perfectly.

"What... Is that thing?" He whispered,wrapping his arm around her waist to try and pick her up.

"I don't know, but that rope is **not **going to hold us both up!" She hissed, pushing against him.

"It'll work well enough." He responded, moving as slowly as he could. The creature's eyes followed them as they moved, and Ronan grabbed onto the end of the rope tightly.

"Can you hold onto my back?" He asked as the creature let out a slightly louder breath, heaving itself closer. Elesis nodded, reluctantly tightening a grip around his shoulders.

"All right. Hold on tightly, all righ-" As he tugged on the rope there was a cracking sound, and the the material grew lax in his hand.

"!" Stepping back, he managed to narrowly avoid the tyrfing as it fell down and skewered the ground.

"I take it that's our escape route out?" Elesis questioned dryly, looking at her limbs in disdain.

"There's got to be another one around here... I'll fix you up as well as I can, then we'll get going." They both watched the monster warily as Ronan cast holy inferno over Elesis' wounds, and within a minute she was able to stand up on her own.

"How does it feel?" He asked, grabbing her arm and looking around for any sort of wall. There was nothing: a great expanse of darkness and the creature all that met his gaze.

"Numb, and like it's probably going to get worse if I move." She grimaced, "But in this situation, what choice do I have?" Ronan chuckled quietly, leading the way away from the monster.

"Gg**g**gr**ah**hh**hah**hh..." Ronan turned around and gasped in surprise as the creature's eyes got even larger, and it let out a loud groan. The knights took a step back as the area began to shudder, and the fang covered mouth stretched to let out an overpowering cry.

"**Run!**" Elesis ordered frantically, pulling him along with her as she began running in the opposite direction. The creature was making panicked, bellowing noises as it heaved itself after them.

"I thought the fearless leader of the Grand Chase never ran?" Ronan questioned with a fearful smile, glancing back at the creature.

"I don't. I make **strategic **retrea-" Before she could say what exactly she was doing the spell knight beside her screamed, causing her to stop and turn. A cord of thick black slime had slithered around his arm, and sizzled as it scraped against his flesh.

"**Ronan!**" The light went out abruptly, and Elesis tightened her grip on the handle of her sword. She swung it down as powerfully, and was granted by both a scream from Ronan and the creature. He managed to force a light with the hand he was holding the tyrfing with, and Elesis could see the damage she had caused. A fair layer of the back of Ronan's hand had been sliced cleanly off, and black strings clung to the raw flesh. There were severe burns trailing up his arms where the cords had wrapped. There was blood everywhere: not only Ronan's, but the creature's as well.

"I-"

"No time for apologies, let's go!" The flame in his hand had grown, but no matter where he turned he couldn't see a single exit that didn't have black ooze seeping out of it.

"Tch..." Before he could make a decision on where to move an onyx claw lunged out of the darkness, embedding itself in Elesis' back squarely.

"N-no..." Elesis let out a heavy gasp, falling to her knees as the ashen vines began wrapping around her limbs.

"**NO!**" The abyss knight wedged his blade squarely in the claw of the creature, twisting the blade as he manoeuvred it away from Elesis. The large, golden eyes recoiled with a scream of pain as he sliced through the vines, and he held onto Elesis tightly as she fell forward. Steam was rising from her arms and legs where the material had been entirely burned through, and she was hacking violently.

"Don't worry, Elesis..." He murmured, "You're fine." Running a hand through her hair with his bloodied hand, he kissed her forehead.

"Look around us, Ronan," She laughed helplessly, "Do we really look fine to you?" The indigo haired man brought her closer, trying to calm his shaking breath and cast another holy inferno.

"Y-yes. It will be fine. We- We've been in worse scrapes than this, I'm sure." He smiled, eyes watering lightly as he looked down at her bloodied body.

"Drop me." The command was sudden, and Ronan blinked slowly.

"Wha-"

"You heard me, **drop me. **You have a much... Much better chance to get out of here without me." She laughed again, pushing him away.

"After all, I can only be so long in a career like this before I die, right? Might as well be..." She took another deep breath, "Might as well be saving someone I... Someone I love." _Why hasn't it attacked yet? _Ronan couldn't be bothered to check.

"You're not going to die for this someone. I... I've always been trying to be your knight in shining armour, but... You've never needed me. Now that I-"

"**Ronan, the tunnel!**" Elesis choked, cutting him off. He turned to follow her gaze: it traced back to the monster. The mouth and eyes were no longer facing the pair, instead peering up at an odd angle.

"What do you-"

"The tunn- The tunnel we fell down! We can't let... We can't let that thing get out of here, Ronan. We **cant**." She said horrifiedly, hand wrapping around the handle of her sword. Ronan's eyes widened as he grasped the situation, and his grip on Elesis tightened.

"Damn it... Why does all of this have to happen right when I see you again? We were going to..." A single tear dripped down his cheek, landing on hers, "We were going to be so happy together. It was the only thing that kept me going each day: the thought of us together. And now..." Looking down at the Savior, he smiled brokenly.

"Though at the moment I really don't want to, I'll be brief. There's only one thing I can think of that can stop that thing from escaping now, and that's the Abyssal Valkyrie." Elesis stared at him in confusion.

"The Valkyrie? In a place like this, it'll-"

"Exactly. This place is far too small... if I summon the Valkyrie here, it will bring the entire cave down on us both." His forced smile was faltering as he looked down at Elesis, and more tears began falling.

"Ah... I see. Go ahead, then." She responded. The spell knight frowned.

"Elesis, this is your-"

"**And that's thousand of other people's lives! Now do it before it's too late!**" She commanded, reaching up to grab his free hand tightly.

"I-" Seeing the fear in Elesis' eyes, Ronan paused.

"I... All right." Elesis laughed again.

"There we go. At least we're going out in style. Who wants to get old and stupid anyway?" She continued, resting her head against him.

"Me." Ronan responded with a sorrowful smile, propping his tyrfing, "with you." Elesis' eyes widened, a last blush painting her cheeks as Ronan lifted the sword into the air.

"_**Heaven's Guardian.**_"

Bright light filled the area, illuminating the expanse of the creature. Its substance filled nearly the entire room, and it was constantly moving.

The ceiling cracked as large wings burst from the light and pressed up against it, crumbling away.

"**Ronan!**" The knight turned back to her as the Valkyrie began to form, its large bow pulled taught and aimed at the creature.

"Hm?" He hummed gently, tightening his grip on her hand.

"That question you asked earlier. I..." She was cut off by a violent series of coughs, and Ronan pulled her closer.

"About it?" He asked, his voice considerably calm in the situation.

"I... Nothing." And then, before Ronan could question her any further, the world collapsed around them.

_I wanted to say yes. _

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><p><em> "And so it begins."<em>

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><p>AN: ... Wow, I actually finished something. I hope you enjoyed it, and this does actually have a plot~! I'm not very good with writing scary, but the next chapters are most likely going to be a bit freakier than this (if you found this at all freaky, even though it wasn't xD ) Yay for killing people~!

-Utsuro


	2. The Loving and the Beloved

A/N: Elesis and Ronan's death seemed to creep some of you out xD Can't wait to see what happens when we get to Sieghart and Mari?

On a side note, I don't support LeyxDio, so don't expect to see it in any of my works D: Sorry for those of you who were expecting it.

Disclaimer: I OWN- *shot* Okay Dx I don't own Grand Chase, or Amy or Jin. You should all be very relieved (especially after reading this~)

Obituary 2: The Loving and the Beloved

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><p>"<em>It's not your fault... Please don't cry, Jinny..." <em>

"_... ..."_

"_**Why are you doing this to us?**"_

"_You- You're not going to... You can't do that to them right when..." _

"_Just sit back and watch."_

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><p>A sweet melody filled the air of a large, studio-like room, entering the ears of a smiling red haired man. The sound itself was emanating from the violin of a pink haired girl who was twisting the bow professionally against the strings. It was beginning to fade out: she had already been playing for nearly an hour. When the last note died clapping filled the room, and the girl smiled.<p>

"What did you think, Jinny?" She asked as she set the violin down in its stand next to the grand piano, looking at him with a smile.

"Perfect, as always, Amy." Was the response, causing her to laugh.

"You always say that!" She rebuked playfully, fixing her dress before she twirled and walked over to grasp his hand and pull him out of the chair.

"That's because it's always true." He smiled, kissing her on the cheek. Amy giggled again, her hazel eyes glittering with delight as she wrapped one of her hands around his shoulder, holding his hand with the other. The fighter caught on immediately and placed his hand on her waist, spinning them to the middle of the room where they began swaying back and forth. The light from the bay windows was pouring in, painting the room with a golden hue and setting the perfect tone for their evening dance.

"You know," He said, "Dancing is a lot more fun now than it was before I met you." Amy rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"That's because you never **did **dance before I met you, remember?" Jin shrugged.

"Still, I doubt it would have been nearly as fun without you." He commented, laughing as Amy began whistling a song for them to dance to, "Who can sing as beautifully as you while dancing?"

"I'm sure plenty of girls can," She grinned, "Not that I'd want anyone else dancing with you~" Ending the dance, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"My Jinny~"

"Very much so." He agreed, a carriage outside the bay window catching his eyes.

"Ah. The mail's here. I'm going to go check, all right?" Amy rolled her eyes, huffing.

"There's never any mail, there hasn't been for a few months~ Can't you stay here and dance some more?" The red haired fighter stepped away, patting her on the head.

"Sorry, habit." He grinned, "Maybe a bit later, though." Sighing, the pink haired girl smiled back.

"If you must~ I'm gonna going to go start dinner, so you'd better hurry!" With a mischievous wink she rushed out of the room before him, leaving Jin alone. _How is she so beautiful and cheerful every single day? _He pondered as he followed the sistina out of the room, making his way down the long staircase and entering the front hallway. _Hm... She's Amy. It probably comes naturally._ He could hear the clattering of pots and pans as Amy began to take things out of the cupboard for dinner. Instead of heading in to watch her cook, as he often did, he turned to the front door and slipped it open just as a man in all white began walking up the walkway.

"Ah! Good evening, Jin!" The postman smiled toothily, reaching into his mail pouch.

"'Evening." The crimson haired man replied, walking off the porch to meet him half way up the path.

"It always amazes me that you manage to meet me before I reach the door **every day**." He chuckled obnoxiously, pulling out an elastic-tied pile of letters.

"Well, these are Miss Amy's letters! Lots of them today, her last concert was amazing. Went there myself, you know." Jin nodded idly, accepting the letters.

"Amy is always amazing." The fighter responded with a grin, turning around as the post man began laughing heartily.

"That she is, that she is! You're one lucky guy!" Jin nodded again.

"Don't I know it!" Jin made his way back up to the porch and sat down on the swinging bench, watching as the man got back in his carriage and continued down the path.

He waited for several moments, until the vehicle was completely out of sight and the clicking of horse hooves were completely gone. When they were both far gone he looked down at the stack of letters in his hands. Removing the elastic that held them together, he set it down next to him as he leafed through the letters, the smile falling from his face and replaced with a monotone expression.

_Amy. _

_ Amy! 3_

_ To: Amy Winters_

_ Amy~!_

_ Amy! :D _

_ Amy_

_ AmyAmyAmyAmyAmyAmyAmy- _And with one swift motion, Jin tore all the letters in half. Scraps of paper fell on his lap silently. Some of the letters had been crammed with glitter and sparkles: That also fell. He didn't bother holding onto the remains of the letter, and they drifted down. Some onto the wood of the balcony, and others onto the space next to him. Jin didn't care: He closed his eyes and began pushing himself back and forth on the swing.

_... Why did I do that? _Leaning forward, he pressed his head to his palms. This action caused some of the papers resting against him to crinkle, and the red haired man grimaced at the sound.

_ I am so sorry, Amy. I don't know what's been going on with me lately. _He felt idiotic. Every day, picking up the mail before it got to the door, and ripping it up before Amy ever found out about it.

_It's so stupid... Why... _Sliding his hands up to the roots of his hair, he tugged on the red strands gently. _Well... Amy is probably waiting for me... _Sighing, he stood up and turned around to look at the paper-littered bench. It wasn't windy at all, leaving them all in the position they had fallen. Jin took a deep breath before he began picking them up, eyes flickering over their contents as he piled them up again.

_When is you're next conccert? I'm soooo gonna be there :D:D:D _... Back into the pile.

..._ and your hair is amazing! Is it naturally like that? I'd love... _... Back into the pile.

_ You're so gorgeous~ I wish my girlfriend was... _A wince. Back in the pile.

_ So wish you preformed in Ellia more... I missed the last concert and I was thinking... _Back in the pile.

_And I really think I could be good for you~ So wanna run away together~? _

Jin stopped entirely, looking over the contents of the ripped letter once more. Gritting his teeth, the Rama gripped the edges tightly. He ripped it again, then again. Again, and again, and again, and again. Over and over until there was hardly anything left of it to cram into his pocket along with the other letters. His heart was beating quickly, fuelling the fear that was beginning to feel in his chest.

_... Why did I... _There was no point in questioning it over and over. Sighing, Jin forced a smile onto his face before he pushed open the door to his and Amy's home. _The home Amy and I built together. _The was calming: by the time he heard Amy's singing floating out of the kitchen the smile on his face had faded into a genuine one.

"Took you long enough~!" She scolded with a smile to match his own, "I had to get all the spices from the high cupboard myself!"

"Says the girl who's the same height as me." He joked, leaning over the island counter to watch as she cut a tomato.

"Oh, shush, you~" Amy giggled. She did that a lot. Jin didn't mind: It only added to the lovely lilting tone she had in her voice that he loved so much. _"You're so gorgeous~" ..._

"So, what are you cooking?" He asked hastily, focusing on her pink hair. It was tied up like it had been when she was a dancer, and it swayed back and forth with her every motion. _"Your hair is amazing!" ..._

"Hm? Oh! Pasta salad! Some peppers, some olives, some spices~!" Jin blinked, a look of dread crossing his face.

"Wait, olives?"

"I took out the pimentos~ I know you at least that well, Jinny~" He let out a sigh of relief and walked around the counter to give her a hug as she tossed the small chunks of tomato into the large pink bowl with the other ingredients. Reaching over her shoulder, he grabbed a bowtie and popped it in his mouth.

"Hey!" Hitting his hand with the spatula, Amy turned to shoo him away.

"Did I ever tell you you're an amazing cook?"

"Well, it's been three years since the Grand Chase was separated... I've had a lot of time to practice..." A silence filled the kitchen as both of them reflected back. Finally Amy returned to cooking, and Jin moved back to the island counter.

"It really has been a long time, hasn't it?" He murmured quietly, "When was the last time we heard from any of them?" Amy pressed her knuckle to her lip as her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"I think... Ronan. He sent a Christmas card, didn't he?" Thinking back, Jin nodded.

"We should probably send everyone a letter soon. It would be pretty nice to have a reunion after so long." Amy clapped her hands together, and an excited gasp escaped her mouth.

"Yeah! That would be so fun~! And we'd get to see what happened with everyone~ How much do you wanna bet Elesis has finally given in and accepted Ronan's courting?" She giggled. Jin let out a quiet laugh.

"Well, depending on how persistent Ronan was, pretty likely." He admitted. Amy's rosy chestnut eyes were glittering, as they often did when she got an idea.

"We have been pretty busy lately, with all the shows and working with the new Silver Knights. I'm surprised we even got this month off~ The reunion should be some time soon, but... we certainly couldn't have it next week, because..." She paused for a moment, looking at the floor contemplatively.

"Jinny, may I go out alone tomorrow~?" She was smiling again, and she turned around to look at the spices she had next to the pasta bowl. Jin's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on the edge of the counter. _"So wanna run away together~?"_

"Sure, why?" He questioned, leaning against the counter heavily. His gaze was down at his pocket, his mouth pulled in a tight line he was grateful Amy hadn't turned around to see. _"So wanna run away together~?" ... Don't even.. think that, Jin._

"It's a secret~!" She hummed, "No spoiling~" The red haired man closed his eyes tightly, trying to contain his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah. When are you going to get home?" He forced his hands away from the edge of the counter, pressing them against the smooth marble top. _"So wanna run away together~?" ..._

"Hm... Not sure~ I might be pretty late, but if I am don't come look for me, okay~?" She requested, stirring the pasta. Jin's hands reached further back on the counter, and he was surprised when one hit the base of a familiar wooden block.

"After all, I need to-" _So wanna run away together~? Wanna run away? Wanna run away? Wannarunaway? Runawayrunawayrunawayrunaway-_

"Amy?" The girl let go out of the bowl to turn around and face Jin, a curious look on her face.

"Ye-" In that instant the martial artist drew a knife from the block, thrusting it forward and deep into Amy's chest. Her hazel eye began shaking in confusion and fear, and her mouth formed noiseless words as she stared at him.

"I love you, Amy." Jin smiled, withdrawing the knife and leaving the knife on the counter as he pulled her into a hug. She was limp, and he had to hold her up. It didn't seem to affect Jin in the least: he instead pulled out her pony tails out and ran his hand through her long, rose locks.

"I love you more than they do... More than any of them." Amy didn't respond. He found a slight disappointment in that: he loved the sound of her voice.

"And I'm going to protect you, better than any of them would. This way, it's just a little easier for us to be together, all right?" There was still no response. He began kneeling down, and soon he was sitting on the ground with Amy's head in his lap. He straightened out her dress and placed her hands on her stomach, looking at her hazed-over eyes contemplatively. As almost an after thought he reached into his pocket and threw the scrap pieces of paper across the floor, staring at them resentfully before returning his gaze to the starlet.

"I... want to hear you sing." He murmured. He could have sworn he saw her mouth twitch at that point, and he smiled.

"Take as long as you need to start." Looking over her again, he frowned.

"Oh... I messed up your dress." The bright crimson of her blood was beginning to seep out and taint the fabric. _Red... _He thought fondly, _my colour. She looks beautiful in it. _Her cheeks were rosy, and he stroked them idly. Several minutes passed before he began lightly humming along with silent singing, grabbing a hand of the dancer's to hold tightly in his own.

* * *

><p>"Master Jin! You're late!" A little boy called from the front porch of the beautiful home. When there was no reply he turned to his two friends, frowning.<p>

"What now? Master Jin's **never **late... It was his first day back from vacation, too!" The other two paused before one grabbed the other's hand and began whispering furiously. This was followed by a chorus of giggles.

"Maybe he's **busy **with Miss Amy~!" The first boy rolled his eyes, a blush covering his cheeks.

"Seriously... I'm gonna go in and check." The other children fell silent, clearly curious. They moved over to sit on the bench swing, staring intently as the first boy pushed open the door.

As soon as he did he almost closed it again, and he crumpled his face in repulsion to the smell that came wafting out.

"Eewwwwww! It smells so bad in there..." He complained, forcing himself to enter the hall anyway. He followed the scent to another door in the hallway: one that was partially cracked. The smell magnified greatly when he pushed open the door, and the boy let out a scream of horror at the scene of his master and Amy lying on the ground. Their mouths were both slightly open, in what could be easily mistaken as a last groan of fear before their deaths. Others would be more inclined to think of it as the last note in the last line of one final song.

* * *

><p>AN: Jin's reason for stabbing Amy isn't really supposed to be logical, don't think on it too much xD A bit more will be explained later o3o I'm also sorry if these seem to move a bit fast, it's difficult to cram a scenario for death into a short chapter~ Thanks for reading!

-Utsuro


	3. The Light and the Carefree

A/N: D8 Visiting relatives again... Wonder how much writing I can get done o3o This chapter... to be honest... wasn't very well planned out. Good luck to me with making this flow 8D;;

Disclaimer: Don't own anything other than an AWTBCD (Advanced Writing Technology of Buttons and Clicky Devices). o3o

Obituary 3: The Light and the Carefree

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><p>"<em>I... I will never... Never... <strong>never <strong>forgive them..." _

"_You mean... No matter what we did... No matter how hard we struggled... It was all in vain?" _

"_I don't blame you... It was **their **fault." _

"_... ..." _

"_How **dare **you do this to us... I wish we had never-"_

"_Don't say it, you don't mean it. And you surely don't need... **all **of us?"_

"_We know what we're doing. Do not doubt us."_

* * *

><p>"Today really was a nice day, wasn't it?" Lire smiled, pushing open the door to the house she shared with Ryan. The druid nodded, carrying in several bags after Lire.<p>

"I didn't think I'd ever end up admitting this, but you were right, Lire. Eryuelle Island really is beautiful... **Maybe **even more so than the Elven Forest. Just maybe!" He added the latter part at her victorious expression, sighing as she laughed.

"It's where I grew up, Ryan! I wouldn't have argued with you over moving back here if it wouldn't be a good place to raise a child." She rested a hand on her stomach with a blush, picking up one of the bags Ryan had deposited near the door.

"Still," Ryan muttered, "The elves here seem a bit.. unfriendly." He offered nervously, "some times I still think we should go back to the Elven Forest." Lire bit her lip, focusing on the groceries as she began putting them away.

"I will admit the elves here have been a bit inhospitable, but that's only because of the Elven slaughter during Kaze'Aze's rule. It all started when a stranger came to the island, and they lost a lot of their population and many of their houses. I know they're being a bit rough, but Eryuelle Island is only doing what it thinks it needs to to save itself from destruction again."

"Elven Forest was hit by that slaughter too, though..." He murmured, "It was nothing like this. If anything, they accepted outsiders and people who supported Elves even more." Lire nodded, smiling as Ryan began helping with the other bags of food.

"Don't worry, they'll warm up to you soon." She assured him. The orange haired Elf nodded uncertainly.

"We've already given them almost two years, but I trust your judgement, Lire. And if it is possible, I agree that this would be an ideal place to raise our child." Kissing her on the cheek after he finished with the last of the foods, Ryan shivered.

"I sort of miss the castle too, it was a lot warmer than this... One thing elves really need to work on is heating. I'm going to start a fire, all right?" Lire nodded absentmindedly, turning to the nearby bed to burrow under the covers.

"This is terrible... I'm even getting exhausted from taking walks like that, now." Ryan laughed as he walked to the door.

"Well, that could be because our child is due in less than a month." He reminded her, stepping outside. The logs were all piled up at the side of their small house, easily and conveniently placed for Ryan to grab a few logs from the top. The fireplace was the only part of the wall in their house that wasn't made of wood, for obvious reasons. It still had char in it from the last time he had lit a fire, but instead of cleaning out the ashes he placed the logs on top. The matches were left on the mantle for easy access: He grabbed one and started the fire before putting the small packet back. When he had done so he closed the screen before pressing his hands together, closing his eyes.

"Thank you, Gaia." He murmured before standing up and walking over to the bed.

"I don't know how you remember to pray to Gaia **every **time you light a fire." Lire muttered sleepily, cuddling up against the druid as he joined her on the bed.

"It's important. I raised myself in the forest, and without Gaia's protection I don't think I would have been able to do that." Lire nodded against his shoulder, half asleep.

.

"I'm glad we were able to meet her along our journey, though. It was nice to be able to finally thank her for all that she's done." Lire tightened her grip on the orange haired elf.

"And she was really pretty..."

"Not prettier than you." He amended quickly, kissing her forehead. He normally would have joked a bit more about Gaia, but he remembered almost instantly the letter he had gotten from Ronan after sending him one about Lire's and his coupling, and Lire's being pregnant. _Pregnant women have mood swings, Ryan. They are very touchy, and can get self conscious very easily. Lire's an elf so I don't know if it'll be like that, but nonetheless, don't do anything that would offend her. _Ryan had been pretty much living by these rules since he had received the letter, and so far it seemed to be doing a fair job of keeping him alive and Lire happy.

"And I've missed a lot of training lately. I'm gonna have a lot of practice to do later."

"Later." Ryan agreed, playing with her long locks, "For now just let me wait on my queen."

"Ryan!" She exclaimed, pressing her face against his shoulder more tightly.

"Yes?" He smirked. Teasing her was something he still enjoyed doing, if he could get away with it.

"I'm not a queen..." She protested, a pleased smile crossing her face despite her words. Ryan could feel this, and he laughed quietly.

"Of course you are! You're my queen. So, dear lady, would you be the Gaia to my Perseo?" Her smile had grown, and she lightly let go of him to get a look of his face.

"Always." They pressed their foreheads together lightly, and the sound of the crackling fire filled the room. They lay like that for almost an hour, and Ryan had nearly fallen asleep when the sound of chirping birds reached his ears. _So loudly? Over the sound of a fire? _Lire had already fallen asleep: He let her go carefully before sitting up with a groan. The sound of the birds attracted his attention, and as he located the sound he realized why. Before sleeping he had apparently forgot to shut the window: there were several of the winged animals on the windowsill. The fire had died, adding to their volume as well.

"Nhhh..." Lire sounded like she was stirring, and Ryan quickly stood up to rush over to the window.

"Come on, guys. Your **queen **is sleeping." At this comment Ryan stifled a laugh, and began waving the birds off the windowsill. To his surprise they didn't leave: One jumped onto his shoulder, and a few of the others flew to his head and shoulders to continue their urgent chirping. Ryan's face fell to a contemplative frown, and he fell silent as he began listening. _These birds are way too frantic and panicked..._ Ryan knew much better than to ignore nature's focused it was much easier to hear the sounds from outside, and he began listening for unusual noises.

_ What's making you guys freak out? _His ears twitched gently: in their sensitivity, the chirps were making it harder to hear. _A branch snapping... that could be anything. The river... Nothing's unusual there. There's... the sound of a panicked deer? _Feeling a wave of paranoia wash over him, Ryan took a step away from the window, pressing his back against the wall to continue listening.

_The wind... Rustling leaves... __**There. A footstep. **_Ryan felt his blood run cold as he heard several other footsteps following the first, and the birds all flew off him as he rushed over to the bed to shake Lire. _Sorry about this, Lire, but I've learned to __**never **__mistrust my instinct. _

"R... Ryan? What is it?" Picking her up, Ryan set her on her feet.

"There's someone outside. Never mind that. **Someones**." He replied, throwing her coat to her. Lire blinked as she caught it, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

"I'm not quite..."

"Please just trust me. I don't know why, but I **really **feel like we're in-" Before he could finish his sentence something penetrated the flesh of his arm, and he let out a scream of pain.

"**Ryan!**" Lire gasped, reaching out for him. The druid pushed her away, wincing as he pulled an arrow out.

"We have to get out of here **now**!" He grabbed his storm blades from the wall instantly, attaching them at the hilts before grabbing Lire's arm. She had barely enough time to snatch her composite bow and quiver from the wall before they burst outside, and as soon as they did Ryan let out a curse. They had been entirely surrounded by archers: All with their bows pointed at the little hut Lire and Ryan called home. Most had pointed their bows to the pair of Elves by that time, and Ryan burst into a run before they could fire.

"**They're getting away!**" Was the predominant scream going through the air, and it almost muted out the sounds coming from the xenocider and nova.

"Damn them... Damn all their souls to the Crucible!" He hissed angrily, curving their path as the arrows began flying.

"What... What are they doing? Ryan, we need to stop! We need to figure out what's going on!" Lire begged desperately.

"If we stop, we're going to die!" He snapped, pulling her closer.

"We're going to go air born, all right?" Lire shook her head furiously.

"There's less to hide in in the sky... We'd make an easier target." Ryan gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep his eyes aimed forward.

"Great... hold on tight." A sharp, vibrant light exploded from Ryan, and a wolf was almost instantly standing in his place. Lire turned her head only to see several elves following them closely, and she tightened her grip on his dark orange fur.

"Why... I don't understand why they're doing this!" She moaned, pulling out her own bow. Her aim was much more precise than that of the archers following the pair, and she managed to shoot out several of their legs.

"Where are we going?" She asked, trying to spot the other elves as arrows came at them from behind.

"We're getting off this Island, and heading into Bermesiah! From there we'll head to the Elven Forest, and then we'll send a letter to the Knight Master to get all of this sorted out." Lire nodded shakily, aiming and deflecting another arrow that had made its way slightly too close for comfort.

"Are you all right?" The question caught her off guard. She paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"No... I don't think so. I can't be, when this is happening." She whispered, holding her bow tightly.

"Don't worry... We'll get things cleared up. Maybe it's like what happened to most of Ellia when Kaze'Aze took ov-" This was cut off by a loud scream from Ryan, and the wolf collapsed.

"Ryan! **Ryan!**" It didn't take long to determine the source of his pain: an arrow had made it directly into the back of his knee cap. The transformation was ending: soon enough he was back to being an Elf.

"I'm sorry!" She said, pulling the arrow out rapidly, "But we have no time to stop!" More arrows were raining down, several slicing through her flesh as she pulled Ryan to his feet and began running again. Her hand rested on her stomach, and she winced.

"Lire! Lire, stop running!" She turned around to stare at the druid in confusion, only to have him bowl her over in a hug.

"What are you doing? Stop it, we need to get moving!" She said forcefully, trying to push him off her. The xenocider didn't move, and Lire stopped pushing when she heard the sickening slicing of arrows penetrating flesh.

"You can't... run right now, Lire..." coughing as several more arrows were embedded in his back, he kissed her gently.

"They hated me, anyway... You were born here, they tr- Trust you. If I leave things like this, you should be able to work things out with them. Ther- There's no... way... we could have both made it... out of... here together." His emerald eyes were losing focus, and the sound of footsteps approaching them was getting steadily louder.

"Ryan... Why..."

"Good night, my quee-" His eyes widened, and Lire shook under the weight as he completely collapsed on her. An arrow had lodged itself directly in the back of his head, and the Elven girl stared at it silently for a moment before trying to pull it out.

"Come on, Ryan..." She sniffled, "Come on..." A hand slapped her own away from the arrow, and she looked up to see the leader of the elven corps hovering over her.

"Lire... I see we meet again." The girl held Ryan closer to her, as though preventing the archers that were surrounding her from taking him.

"How... **Why did you do this?**" She cried angrily, eyes beginning to brim with tears.

"Because he was an intruder... Who knows what he was planning? And more importantly..." kneeling down, the leader looked at her directly in the eye, "he stole our Nova." Lire gritted her teeth.

"**You killed him because I'm a Nova?**" She accused quietly, holding a hand to Ryan's stained locks. One of the others nodded, and the Elven Leader continued.

"Did you truly understand the requirements of a Nova when you took on the job, Lire? Nova are pure archers, fighters of the goddess of light, who protect their people at any cost. You left us, Lire. You left us to fight the Ascendant God... We could understand that. He might have eventually returned to Eryuelle, like Kaze'Aze did. Then... **Then **you returned with this... this **outsider**." Malice laced his words.

"This outsider took all your time... you didn't even live inside the village any more. You built a home on the outskirts of the island, and then you got **pregnant. **With **his **child. That was as far as we could let you go." Lire's hand instinctively flew to her stomach, and her eyes began flitting around as she looked over all of the archers in the area.

"What are you going to do, then?" She whispered, closing her eyes, "Do you want me to come back to the village? Because even if you do... I'm **never **going back there." The leader scoffed.

"It's nearly nine months too late for that, Lire. We gave up on getting you back the moment you conceived. Now, we're just here to tell you that we really didn't want it to turn out this way. We didn't want to, Lire, but you forced our hand. Now, I just hope you realize that the only one to blame for all of this is yourself. Well, I suppose some blame could go to our village for letting our Nova get so out of hand, so... Here." Standing up, he kicked Ryan harshly in the side, rolling him off Lire. Drawing his bow, an insane smirk drew across his face.

"We're going to erase our mistake." With this he released the string, the arrow flying straight into Lire's stomach. She began shaking, and her hands wrapped around her stomach as she hunched over.

"No... No... **No!**" She screamed, letting out an anguished cry.

"**NO! NO! RYAN! MY BABY! HOW DARE YOU! GIVE THEM BACK!**" The loss of her child and her couple had fallen on her all at once, and in that instant Lire snapped. Her composite bow was snatched up off the ground, and she let off the pre-notched arrow directly into the skull of the Elven Corps leader. He fell backwards with a choked, startled gasp, and the other archers began fumbling for their bows. _**They'll pay. They'll all pay.**_Arrows were beginning to fly, but Lire aimed quickly, and more accurately. The forest floor was littered with Elves before enough arrows had been lodged into her to stop her rampage, and she slumped over.

_I'm sorry, Ryan. I couldn't protect our child..._ Her tears began falling, and she closed her eyes as several more arrows were added to her. Pressing a hand to her stomach, she let out a shaky breath. _I'm sorry to you, too. Maybe in another place, at another time, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe some other time, we could have been- _Her thoughts began dying out, and she forced all of her last effort into placing her hand on Ryan's before the last of her consciousness let go.

* * *

><p>AN: Ohwow. It's a bit longer than Jin and Amy's chapter D8 Seeing as this thing took a few hours, maximum... Oh well o3o;; This didn't all turn out according to plan, but thanks for reading~! I'm starting to get sick, so I don't know how much I'll be able to write... I'm gonna finish this though, no worries :3 In fact, if it's a certain illness I'm worried about, I get a week off Dx

Oh! Coupling is the equivalent of marriage in this :3

-Utsuro


	4. The Naive and the Regretful

A/N: I'm writing this in a dark basement where I can't see any of the keys D8 It's a good thing I generally don't need to xD Family visiting provides a lot of writing time o_o;; And now time for the chapter everyone's been worried about~! Lass and Arme finally get their turn :3

Disclaimer: Don't own Grand Chase, Lass or Arme D: I own this story, though!

Obituary 4: The Naive and the Regretful

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><p>"<em>Arme..." <em>

"_I... Only did what I thought I needed to do. I was so useless... I couldn't even save you." _

"_Why can't they just let me **die?**" _

"_Please don't say that... Not when we're here together." _

"_Why **are **we here...?"_

"_... ..."_

"_Pfft... Grandfather? Good luck with that." _

"_Elesis, they-"_

"_No. They'll never get him." _

"_Watch us."_

* * *

><p>The morning light broke in through a slightly cracked window, filtering through to a bed where two figures lay. One was already awake: the snowy haired man was silent as he watched the small, violet haired girl rest. They continued on this way for a long time, until he finally sighed and let go, forcing himself to sit up. Once off the bed the first thing he did was straighten the sheets around the girl,moving a pillow into her arms as a substitute for himself. He brushed back a few stray lilac hairs before kissing her forehead, a small action he preformed every morning.<p>

With this done he reached into the nearby dresser to pull out a pale blue outfit, and he turned to the nearby bathroom. Taking a shower didn't take much time: he was soon out and able to sneak into the kitchen without waking the girl. She was mumbling and letting out sleepy murmurs like she did every morning: ones that were completely incomprehensible, no matter how many times he had sat down and tried.

"Hm..." Looking into the fridge, he pulled out the milk, and grabbed a packet of something from the cupboard. Several clean glasses still stood on the counter, as did a small bottle. He mixed together the milk and the powder into the glass, staring at the third ingredient for a moment before opening the bottle and adding it in. There was only a small amount left, and the silver haired assassin frowned. _Almost out again? I'll have to go out today... _

"L-Lass?" A hesitant voice called from the bedroom, "Are... Are you still here?" The voice was almost fearful: Lass grabbed the drink before quickly returning to the room. The violet haired girl had moved to the side of the bed, and she was about to stand up when she noticed the sapphire eyed man in the doorway.

"Yeah. Don't worry, Arme. I'm right here." A relieved smile crossed her face, and she tried to push herself up off the bed.

"Ah. I... was..."

"Sit down." He commanded gently, "I don't want you to fall again." Arme huffed, a blush painting her already puffy cheeks.

"I stood up a lot yesterday, and I didn't fall over once!" She protested, nonetheless sitting down when he handed her the drink and sat down next to her.

"Yesterday was better," He agreed, ruffling her hair, "But..." She sighed, looking down at the contents of the glass.

"I know," She mumbled, taking a sip, "but still. This is getting ridiculous... I haven't been able to move in... I don't know how long." Lass didn't respond, and silence filled the room. It was only at this that a constant tapping was heard, and the assassin looked up. Arme hadn't noticed the sound yet, and she stared at him in confusion as he stood up and moved over, into the next room.

"Lass...?" The thief groaned as he checked the window, noticing what he had already expected to be there. He slid open the window grudgingly, and the animal let inside flew into the next room almost instantly.

"Ah! Sidtri!" Came the surprised gasp, followed by a few coughs and a laugh.

"You've been gone for so long, haven't you, my pretty bird?" She cooed, earning another groan from the silver haired man as he returned to the room. The bird had perched itself on her thin leg, and was rubbing its head against her cheek as she ran her fingers through its feathers.

"Here I was hoping it had gotten lost in the last storm..." He muttered, almost smiling as Arme turned to glare at him.

"Hey! I don't get why you two hate each other so much..." The assassin shrugged, nudging the furry ball at the end of their bed with the tip of his steel-toed boot.

"Kaze' is already plenty to deal with." He mentioned, watching as the ball stretched out. It was soon recognizable as some sort of dog (though its three tails could have misled someone into believing otherwise). Yipping filled the room quickly, followed by shrill cries from the bird. The two animals had been brought together as soon as Lass had retrieved his dog from the silver cross guild, and he was surprised to realize that they actually got along fairly well. _At the very least, better than the bird and I do. _

Arme laughed as the dog tried to pull itself up onto the bed, and Lass reached down to pick it up and set it on the covers. The bird glanced at him for a moment before it returned its attentions to Arme, and Lass moved to sit down on the other side of the bed quietly. As much as he griped about the Sidtri, Lass was relieved that the bird had come back. _At least it can still make Arme smile... _And that was the most important thing.

"Lass? What are you doing sitting all the way over there?" His musing was cut off by the violet haired girl's questioning, and he moved a bit closer.

"Giving the thing room." He replied, "Wouldn't us fighting again, would you?" This was another idle suggestion. They had long gotten past the point of attacking each other. They could have even been considered to have some form of grudging respect, but in the very least reasoning... _Neither of us want Arme to be upset. _

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Arme had gotten sick. Not just a little bit, either. Every day her eyes were slightly dimmer, her arms a bit less powerful. Her smiles and her laughs were just as cheerful, her speech just as playful and her determination just as strong. That was the most painful part. _It's not __**her **__who's dying away... It's her body. _Medicine and bed rest were the only things he could find that had helped in the least, and they were both difficult to get into Arme without a bit of force.

"You two wouldn't fight, would you?" She questioned. Lass blinked as a sudden weight arrived on his lap, and he looked down to see his dog sitting and staring up at him with a begging expression. He scratched behind Kaze's ear, evoking a quiet growl of happiness from the puppy.

"... Lass?" He turned to look at the violet haired girl. Her head was down, and she was hovering over the bird. This hid her expression almost entirely from Lass: he leaned closer and tilted his head to try to see her.

"Yeah?" She paused again, then turned to look at him pleadingly.

"Can we... Can we please go to the meadow today?" She asked, holding the bird tightly. Most animals would have protested to the action greatly, but the cream coloured fowl bore it patiently. The assassin looked down at the dog in his arms to avoid her gaze, stroking its fur.

"Arme... I have to go out today." Arme's eyes widened, and she reached out to tug on the sleeve of his shirt.

"No! Please don't go..." She murmured. Lass didn't answer, and Kaze'Doggeh whimpered from its spot on Lass' lap.

"Please, Lass... You don't need to go to the village. Just come with me to the meadow..." She whispered, tightening her grip on the fabric.

"I can't." He responded, the dog hopping off his lap as he shifted over to ruffle Arme's hair, "We're out of medicine again." She kept her eyes locked to his: a vain attempt to get him to listen to her.

"You don't need to go... I don't need medicine, I'll be fine." He wasn't listening: he never did. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she tugged him closer. The bird hopped away a moment before she pulled him into as firm a hug as she could, her cheek resting against his neck.

"Lass... I don't want you to steal for me any more..." She whimpered. Lass gritted his teeth, and he held onto her tightly. _What am I supposed to do, then? I know it doesn't make you happy, but... Am I supposed to just let you __**die?**_He knew he couldn't. At that moment they were on the outskirts of the only town Lass could find that produced the medicine for Arme's sickness: A sickness so vague the healer who had come to her two years ago could only find something that would ease it. The villagers were fearful of outsiders: they hadn't let Lass buy the medicine, and he wasn't beyond going through illegal means to get it to her. _It already hurts badly enough, knowing I can't save you._

"I'm sorry." He murmured, "I'll be back in a little bit, okay?" Turning to the two animals in the room without letting go of the girl, he sighed.

"You two need to watch her, all right?" Kaze'Doggeh spun around in small circles, yipping excitedly. The Sidtri, on the other hand, stared back at Lass comprehensively. Unlike the three tailed dog, the bird understood what was happening to Arme. It understood that something was very wrong, and that Lass was doing what he could to to keep her safe. From that was a mutual respect: _You do what you can, I'll do what I can._

"And... If you're good today, we can go to the meadow tomorrow." Arme let go to look at him, eyes going wide.

"Really?" The assassin nodded.

"Really, so behave yourself. And no magic... You know what it could do to you." She nodded eagerly, then paused, her face falling.

"But... I- Be... Be careful." Lass pulled her closer, kissing her cheek softly.

"Of course. When am I not?" He held her hand tightly as he stood up, letting go only when he was too far from the bed to hold on any longer.

"I'll be back soon." he repeated. When he was just about out of the room a quiet voice reached him, pulling a pained smile to his face.

"I love you, Lass." Turning around to face her, the silver haired boy waved gently.

"Love you too, Arme." And with that he rushed out of the house, trying to prevent tears from building in his eyes. _This would happen... When I finally move on... When I finally let myself forget about everything that happened under Kaze'Aze's possession... _His teeth were gritting together even more tightly, his hands balled into fists as he began making his way through the forest that surrounded their home. _Why her?_

Letting out a heavy sigh, the assassin forced himself to calm down. _Going into the village like this is just going to get me caught... Who's going to get Arme's medicine and food if I don't?_ That was the thought he always kept at the front of his mind: The thought that ensured he did everything perfectly. He had been seen a few times, and had at one point had people chasing him, but he had always lost them long before he got to the house. Even a master thief was bound to get noticed a few times over the course of two years. _I'm going to protect her until the moment I die. It's all I can do... _He had passed through the thicker part of the forest, and he slowed down as he realized he was nearing the village. Fortunately the apothecary was near the outskirts: He didn't need to go too far in and risk much. _We're almost out of food too, though... I should stop at the grocery store as well. _He slowed down as he stayed in the forest, circling around the edges as he tried to locate the shop. _I wonder if some day I'll wear my striker's uniform again. _The thought was random: only brought on by a glance at his gauze-wrapped hands.

It wasn't that he was physically unable to wear it: the outfit was folded neatly in the top drawer of his dresser. _I can't wear it when I'm doing something so lowly as thieving. It's not... right. _ He missed it, still. It reminded him of the good days: the very few good days he had in between being released from possession and Arme's sudden illness. Sometimes, he couldn't help wondering if the two were connected. _Do the gods really hate me that much? _He rather hoped not. _At the very least, don't hate me enough to take her. Let her get better, please... _ The drug store came into view at that point, distracting the silver haired man from his thoughts.

It was closed. This struck Lass as odd, and he paused outside for a moment before the logic occurred to him_._ _Oh. It's Sunday, isn't it?_ It made his job much easier: no one to sneak around. Regardless, the assassin cast invisibility over himself before pulling out a piece of wire and twisting it into the back lock. He had done it several times, and as a result the wire was already perfectly fitted. The makeshift key functioned just as it needed to, and the doorknob turned easily upon prompt. He slipped inside quickly before pulling the door shut behind him, turning to look over the shelves. He dared not turn on the light for fear of alerting the villagers, so the window light was all he had to work with as he began shifting through medicines. _Silver Hermissan... Where are you? _It wasn't in the place he had last found it: Lass was beginning to feel surprised they actually kept it in stock at all. Of course, it was the village's speciality: one they weren't willing to sell to strangers, but a speciality nonetheless. _If they were willing to sell it to me, we wouldn't have reached this problem..._

* * *

><p>"This way! I saw it head over here!" Arme shivered, sitting up from her rest at the sound of footsteps storming around outside.<p>

"**H-Hey! It's a house!**" Her eyes widened, and the bird next to her stood up. It turned to the fearful magician and back to the sound before shaking its wings and flying off the bed.

"We found the thief's house! Finally!" The sound of screeches from the Sidtri erupted in loud, disruptive tones.

"What-"

"That's the thief's bird! I seen it going here all the time!" there was more clattering, followed by a loud thud.

The Sidtri's cries fell silent.

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken Lass long to locate the medicine he needed, hidden behind a bottle of common cold relief. <em>Really? You think my need for this is so weak that hiding it would deter me?<em> He pocketed the bottle before slipping out the back again. The door was locked behind himself, allowing him to move onto the next item on his list. _Food... This shouldn't take long. Don't worry, Arme. I'll be home soon. _

The grocery store was just as silent as the apothecary's clinic, and it had just as solid defences. Once inside he looked over the selection before quickly pulling basic foods from the shelf. He tried not to take anything there wasn't a lot of on the shelf, or anything that was too expensive. A few years ago it wouldn't have mattered to him. _Back before I knew Arme... But I've lost my thief's disposition now. _He didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing any more.

He had just finished throwing a fresh bag of cherries in his satchel when the sound of a fuss outside reached him. _Have they realized something went missing? _He highly doubted it. _I'd better leave after everything's quieted down..._ Continuing into the next aisle, he was almost at the end when he reached the wall nearest to the town square. Cries of _"__**Stone the thief! Stone him!**__"_ reached the assassin's ears, and he paused in what he was doing. _What? A thief? _He turned out of the aisle with a curse, pushing out of the side door and into the streets after making a hastily uttered invisibility spell. _Don't tell me they mistook someone else for me?_ There was a huge crowd near the centre of the village, and he winced at the sight of rocks being hurled at a figure on the platform. He pushed past some of the people to get to the front, and his eyes widened at the sight.

An exact duplicate of himself stood upon the platform. The second Lass was tied to a support beam in the middle of the platform, curled as close to the ground as he could to avoid the heavy stones being thrown his way. _What in ascension...? What's going on here? Am I seeing things? _It wouldn't have been the first time he had had nightmares about being caught.

"Skree..." The sound of an extremely weak call caught his attention in the yelling, and the assassin turned his attention to the floor of the platform._ No... It can't be... _ The Sidtri was lying weakly on its side, an arrow embedded through it. It didn't appear as though it should have been able to breath, let alone squall. In an instant he understood what was going on: in that instant he allowed his invisibility to wear off, and he lunged onto the stage. Gasps were heard from the crowd, and everything stopped for a moment as he slipped a dagger out of his pocket to slice the ropes holding the second Lass up in half.

"What's... going on...?" Someone in the crowd asked, clearly as confused as the assassin himself had been moments prior. Lass ignored them, pulling the rescued person to him.

"Arme, what were you thinking? I tell you not to use magic and you go and do this?" He hissed, turning to look at the people surrounding them with an accusatory glare. His suspicion was proven correct a moment later: the white of the other Lass' hair began to die out, and a violet haired girl began to fade into existence. She was bleeding profusely where rocks had managed to rip flesh, and she was coughing roughly.

"We had the wrong person?" One person exclaimed, disbelief prominent in their tone.

"They were... looking for... you..." Arme stuttered, closing her eyes, "And... it's just better this way."

"So you disguised yourself as me **hoping **they'd kill you in my place?" Arme nodded shakily, a violent hack forcing itself out of her lungs.

"Then... Which one is the real thief?" The crowd was getting restless: they wouldn't hold back for much longer.

"This morning I noticed it... Lass, I'm not going to make it much longer. You're fine, though... I don't mind dying like this, but..." her voice wavered out for a moment, and Lass shook her gently.

"Arme?" He reached into his satchel quickly, pulling out the stolen medicine bottle. Before he could bring it to her mouth the magician opened her eyes, and with a weak movement she knocked it away.

"I knew for real that I was dying this morning, Lass... I knew, but I still... All I wanted to do was back to the meadow with you, one last time. The meadow, where everything used to be okay." She appeared to be choking at that point: every breath a struggle.

"Arme, take your medi-"

"It's not going to help-" She took a breath, and let it out with a sigh, "N-not going to help now..." She was starting to cry. Lass wanted to mimic the action, but he held the moistness back. The crowd seemed to have stopped their actions to watch the interactions of the two on the platform, and all had fallen silent.

"I wanted to go back, Lass... And it wasn't for me. I wanted to go back to the meadow to be with you, but... Maybe... not for me. I hoped that maybe going back-" She was interrupted again by coughs.

"Don't-"

"I hoped that going back would give me the right words." She looked at him regretfully, and attempted to sit up. Her attempt failed, and she ended up collapsing into his arms yet again.

"I need the words... to tell you that it's okay to keep living." She whimpered, grasping his sleeve._ "No! Please don't go..." ... Why didn't I listen to you?_

"And... I still don't have the words..." She sniffled, trying to hold back some of her tears. She was failing miserably: tears had all but taken over her face.

"I'm sorry... I looked for the words... I really did! I-I couldn't find them, and I don't have them now that you need them, but... It's okay. It really is... You took care of me, Lass. You always called me your light, and that made me really happy, but you've always been able to see in the dark." Her eyes were dulling, but her smile hung resiliently to her lips.

"I don't know what I'd have done without you, Lassie... Can you do one last thing for me? Please... I know they aren't what you need, but... Please, pretend these were the words you needed to hear... Pretend that you know it's okay to keep living now... Because it may not seem okay yet, but it's not so bad... I promise..." With that, she let out a shivering sigh, and her body fell limp.

"A... Arme? How can you say all of that? How can you expect me to live without you? How do you expect me to live without my light?" The magician didn't respond.

"And... How do you expect to live without me wherever you are now? You're going to get lost, or trip and fall, or... I don't know. I just know... I need to be there." He fell silent, and the villagers stared for a long time. He didn't know how long it was before he felt anything, but it almost felt merciful when rocks and stones began raining down. Shortly after that he realized he couldn't have moved if he wanted to, and that was followed by everything getting darker.

* * *

><p>"<em>And now we're half way done."<em>

* * *

><p>AN: everything's more emotional with Lass and Arme involved o3o Or that could just be me, but I actually enjoyed writing Arme's drawn out swansong xD There were a lot more heartstrings I coulda pulled there, but I'll just not and say I did.

Also. Kaze'Doggeh is going to be getting verryyyy hungry soon o_o Or he'll set he forest on fire, and hopefully burn down the village x3

If you couldn't understand what Arme was talking about, she knew Lass would lose the will to live after she died, and she was trying to find the words to let him know it was okay to move on and keep living. She basically didn't want him to sit there and die. Good job honouring Arme's last wish, Lassie o3o


End file.
